Unbroken
by Frazi
Summary: Shepard's been tasked with infiltrating a Turian slave ship. Shepard hardly has the disposition of a slave and Garrus has no idea how to command his commander.
1. Chapter 1

_Unbroken_

 _A Mass Effect story_

 _Summary: Shepard's been tasked with retrieving a sold slave from a Turian slave ship. Shepard hardly has the disposition of a slave and Garrus has no idea how to command his commander._

* * *

Shepard sat in the conference room surrounded by her team mates. Every day they were getting closer to stopping the collectors. Every day she was tormented by the visions of more colonists disappearing. She wasn't the glass half empty kind of person but it was getting increasingly difficult to wait. She had just recently recruited Samara and helped put down her daughter. Her nerves were still rattled from the experience. So she hung back from the mission briefing until she heard Jack.

"Guess you're need a make-believe slave too, huh?" Jack smirked. "I just came out of one collar. There's no way you're putting anything around my neck. Unless we're playing sex games. Are we playing sex games Shepard?"

They'd been asked by Aria to locate a certain Asari medic that had gone missing. It was suspected she'd fallen into slaver hands and a possible location had just been uploaded to the Normandy. Sarah Shepard was still nursing a headache and she really only wanted to be out there to put some bad people down. Hopefully it would take the taste of Morinth away for good.

She had little patience for Jack's blunt teasing, but she'd been taught to be calm. To be the diplomat. The voice of reason. It didn't help that it had landed her in this suicidal one way mission to save the universe. So she tried not to be embarrassed by Jack's barb which was obviously meant to make her uncomfortable. "No Jack. We definitely are not."

"I think Jacob will make the perfect candidate," Jack cackled, her eyes dancing with mirth and malice.

The chocolate skinned man bristled as he put his hands on the table and glared at the convict. "Just because I'm black doesn't mean…"

"Guys please," Garrus began, but Jack had already taken the conversation back as leaned back in her seat, looking down at the bitten nails nonchalantly.

"Oh it's not because you're black." Jacob blinked and Jack's smile was feral as she met his eyes. "It's coz, you're a pussy."

His hand smacked against the table top as he came out of his chair. "That's it! Miranda, you hold her down. I'll kick her skinny ass."

"Bring it on cheerleaders!" Jack leapt onto the conference table.

A chair lifted and flew between the two would-be brawlers and smashed into the opposite wall.

The room went silent.

Jacob's eyes were like saucers and Jack looked less feral and more respectful.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Shepard blinked innocently, the blue hue of her biotics still tinging her skin. "Did my posturing get in the way of your forgetting I am still in charge here?"

"You nearly took my head off Shepard," Jacob fell into his chair, eyes still impossibly wide. Miranda was doing her best to hold the hand conspicuously over her mouth while Jack carefully climbed down and sprawled in her seat.

"Excuse me while I exhibit little patience after having my brain scrubbed by an ardat yakshi." She rose from her seat and pulled up a 3D map of omega's factory district. "I do appreciate all your input guys. But, Samara," she met her resident Asari teammate's calm eyes, "I could clap you in the proverbial irons and you'd still only look like a Justicar. Miranda?" She smirked at her second in command. "You don't have a subservient bone in that body. And yes Mordin, our would-be slave will need to be – what did you call us humans – oh yes! Pliable, adaptable and bendy."

"Flexible."

"Same thing," she waved off her Salarian Scientist. "So that leaves me short on one handler to make the deal with the slave trader and one infiltrator to work us a way out."

Garrus frowned at his commander, a slow painful clench in his gut. "You're volunteering yourself to be the cargo? Shepard, bendy or not. You're going in with one gun on your six and a gang of slavers armed to the teeth."

"Then be my six Garrus." Shepard met his eyes resolutely. "You're worth at least three guns in a firefight."

The Turian's manibles fluttered. The compliment went over his head. His mind was swimming with all the things that could go wrong. He wasn't happy with her plan to lure Morinth out alone and he was more than a little unhappy to let her walk into a slavers ship, big enough to house an army. But his lovely commander was short on self-preservation more than patience. She saw an opportunity to help and she leapt in without a thought. He was worried her paragon nature would lead her into darker corners on Omega. "Obviously, I'm going." He snorted. "Like I'd trust Cerberus to watch your six."

"We're right here, you know." Miranda frowned at him, her eyes cutting.

"That leaves just one position. Thane?"

The sniper only inclined his head. "My scope is yours Siha."

Commander Shepard offered him a smile and rose. "Great. Now the most important thing. Anyone have a dress that's not made of leather?"

* * *

To be continued


	2. Chapter 2

_Unbroken_

 _A Mass Effect story_

 _Summary: Shepard's been tasked with infiltrating a Turian slave ship. Shepard hardly has the disposition of a slave and Garrus has no idea how to command his commander._

 _Author's Note: It was always in the peripheral. Slavery. I was unhappy with how the Mass Effect Universe shed so little light on it. A much darker place they never touched; maybe because it was a game. How the Batarians could get away with it. How the Krogans were neutered. How the Salarians could capture and experiment to their heart's content. The Hanar and the Drell. So many unanswered questions. So I started writing and of course Shakarian is always a good excuse to make a point :) Enjoy and drop me a note if you like._

* * *

CHAPTER 2

Shepard stood in front of the holographic mirror and frowned at her appearance. It was true. The brain massage Morinth had given her was still singing in her head. A part of her wondered if it was really the time to put herself in this position. Playing a role she could have easily been living for the rest of her life if she'd let the ardat yakshi win. If Samara hadn't come in time. If Garrus hadn't picked her up and run to Dr. Chakwas in time. No one had spoken to her about it. Even Garrus seemed to give her space.

But the experience reminded her of just how awful the universe was to people without power. Shepard had nearly given in to the pull of the ardat yakshi's lure. The immense will Shepard had to muster, bolstered by her biotics had barely been enough to lift her head out of the sparking cloud and see Morinth for the monster she was. For her, there had always been a very clear line between good and evil; right and wrong. Now…she wasn't so sure. Because in that moment she hadn't felt guilt in letting her Justicar put the Asari down.

The concept had prompted her to take this mission before others. A slave, even in one's own mind, was an atrocity Sarah Shepard had seen little of in her life as a spacer kid or even an N7 soldier. How sheltered her life had been, she lamented. Her companions had each been through so much. Jack, Garrus, Miranda, each with their own personal hell to survive.

Her cabin door pinged and she took a deep breath before smoothing the non-descript grey dress down her arms. It was decent, but threadbare and clung to her like a skin. When Aria had sent over necessities, she had frowned at the dress until she saw the one thing that still grated on her nerves. Smudged, weakened and destitute she could pull off with the turmoil in her head.

But the leash.

She kept staring at the leather and chain contraption and grit her teeth. How the hell was she going to pretend to be okay with putting that thing around her neck?

"Shepard," EDI prodded her gently. "Officer Vakarian is waiting outside your door. Should I let him in?"

She eyed the leash one more time before reaching for the one thing that would remind her who she was. An old, leather jacket her mother had given her at the docks when she had left for her service. Sarah had kept it on hand to remind her how much she had to live for. How someone always waited for her to come home. She slid the cold leash into the pocket and walked to the door with as much bravado as she could muster.

She was about to free a lot of slaves from a madman. There was no way in hell she was backing down because a dog collar made her uncomfortable.

/

"This is not going to work. I should never have let you talk me into this. We're docking on a ship we know nothing of. About to make a deal with slaver we have no info on. This is the most idiotic mission I have ever let you drag me to."

Shepard smiled faintly at the Turian still grumbling from across the seat. "Just like old times."

Garrus Vakarian frowned. "You overuse that phase. I'm beginning to think you don't really understand what it means."

Shepard sighed and darted a glance at the Drell sitting silently by the window of the shuttle they had commandeered to get to the slavers ship. "Garrus, I know you wanted someone else to play this part, but let it be. You got me.

"You think you understand what you're playing at Shepard, but you don't!" The Turian leaned forward and for a moment Shepard's breath stilled in her chest. There in front of her was the Archangel glaring back at her, elbows on his knees, blue eyes like steel. Her old friend was gone. In fact, ever since she retrieved him from Omega, she saw less and less of him. This Turian was bigger, meaner and much darker than the callow C-Sec officer that stepped on the Normandy. Settling things with Sidonus hadn't helped even though she'd kept him from killing the turian; Garrus was still colored black and blue.

"Garrus," She purposefully kept her tone neutral even though she was rattled by his aggressive stance. "We handled the bounty hunter. We can handle this."

"Do you KNOW the kind of atrocities you're going to witness!"

A muscle hardened in her jaw. "Did YOU think I would subject Jack, or Miranda or anyone else to them after all they have been through!"

Garrus stilled when the woman snarled, her whiskey hued eyes like fire. "This is war Shepard. You think you can protect them." He shook his head. "That's why you took on Morinth on your own, isnt' it?"

She glanced away. "Samara said the power would attract her. They gave me a lot when they remade me."

"Are the others any less powerful than you? Dammit Shepard, is this what you're doing?! Taking one for the team because you think you are expendable? Because you came back from the dead? You might not get a third chance Shepard!"

There was a rumble as the shuttle landed. Avoiding those perceptive eyes, the woman rose and held out her hand. "We're here. Put this on me."

Garrus's heart keened with pain as he saw the offending thing dangling from her hand. "Get Thane to help you," Garrus grunted and turned away to secure his armor and recheck his weapons.

He would die before putting her in that thing himself.

A part of her knew it was a true. She didn't just wake up and discover how horrible the universe could be. But her stint on the Citadel, her time in the Terminus systems had opened her eyes. And death? It had made her fearless. Almost.

Slavery was real. The council didn't regulate the Batarians and the Hegemony because it was easier to just let them be. As long as their own backyard was clear. The Rachni, the Collectors, the Drell, the Reapers, even the Krogan. The council seemed to think it was natural to control someone one way or another. Then she'd seen Jack, the experiments on the children, Miranda's father genetic engineering, more experiments. Illium. Oh god, she remembered how it was taken in stride when they spoke of indentured servitude.

She slid a finger under the deceptively strong, but soft leather strap of the leash. Garrus stood a few feet away, speaking with a guard in the docking area. Thane had disappeared even before the shuttle door had opened. Shepard, kept her eyes down, but her vision was sharp, searching and clear.

Time to get to work.

The Agrippa was huge. Batarian, Turian, Asari, even Quarian. Every species on the galaxy was present. She'd spotted a few that she'd never seen before. Violent. Suppressed. Imperious…mostly broken.

A muscle tightened in her jaw, then she let out a slow breath. Later, she promised herself. Memories of Morinth pried into her mind, only tainting her mouth with more venom.

Then the nearly invisible mass effect chain glistened and she almost face-planted into Garrus' side as he yanked on leash. She held back a hiss of surprise when an armored arm wrapped around her waist and his plated mouth touched her ear. "Pay attention pet," he purred loud enough for the guard to hear.

Turning her head, she stared at him in horror when she realized her mistake. She really should have picked someone else to play her handler. Because his claws on her had suddenly set fire to her skin and she realized there was more danger in this mission than just being discovered,

It was all show, but the shudder that racked her frame was very real. Real because suddenly her gorgeous Turian friend was an apex predator and his voice did delicious little funny things to her nerves.

* * *

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

_Unbroken_

 _A Mass Effect story_

 _Summary: Shepard's been tasked with infiltrating a Turian slave ship. Shepard hardly has the disposition of a slave and Garrus has no idea how to command his commander._

 _Author's note: Garrus took this one away from me. Thanks for the reviews guys and one in particular said that my story might be an uncomfortable read, but I am hoping to touch on a tough subject with some humor and romance thrown in for good measure. I do, however, feel strongly about how it was taken in stride during the game. So thanks for all the favs and everything. And I hope you enjoy the ride_

* * *

CHAPTER 3

"Any lead on her?"

"I am gratified that you think me so proficient a hacker Shepard, but we will need a terminal before I can access where they're keeping our good doctor," Garrus hissed under his breath.

Standing with her back nearly to him, she ran her eyes over the entrance to the Agrippa. "We should..." Anything she might had said died on her lips as a Batarian dragged a screaming human girl by her hair. He was close. If she reached out and cut off his arm, maybe no one would notice.

"Breathe Shepard." At the flicker of his breath on the back of her neck, Shepard shivered and snapped her eyes shut. "We will fix this," he murmured gently. Almost soothingly. "Just breathe."

She dragged in a lung full of broken breath when the door beyond the cargo entrance opened.

Enter Captain and Master Slaver.

"Fuck me."

Blinking up at Garrus' unusual choice of expletives, Shepard was about to ask when the name left his mouth with such malice that all her teasing died. "Ramulus Maximus."

He was built like a truck. Tall, broad and marked with black whorls of ink on his face and arms. And his eyes immediately went to Garrus.

For all practical purposes, Shepard had been so caught up with her own mental drama that she hadn't realized that she had been modified and somewhat unrecognizable from her repair job, but Garrus. He came from a prominent clan.

And it was then that she saw that her Turian companion no longer bore the trademark blue lines of clan Vakarian. The new clan markings were painted red like the new armor she'd given him, nearly the same shimmering color as his red visor. She felt a twinge of regret and a flare of unease in her belly. It was almost second nature to turn to her sniper and watch his familiar face at her six. She wondered if that's how he felt when he saw her with the glowing scars and the unfamiliar slants to her face. The reconstruction had softened her jaw, hardened her cheekbones and changed a fraction here and there. She still looked like Sarah Shepard, but not. And he…he looked like Garrus, but not.

There was another tug on her sizzling chain and she realized, Garrus had almost instinctively drawn her behind himself. She frowned up at his towering form. He was here to sell her, there was no point in being protective. "Garrus," she hissed. "You know him."

"Archangel does. Dammit, I TOLD you this was a bad idea."

"Shhh! He's sending someone."

Ramulus held up a hand and a guard stepped up to them. "You. Come with me."

Shit. A private audience. That wasn't how Shepard had planned this going. She had wanted to remain in the peripherals, but perhaps it was a mistake bringing Garrus. He did sort of stand out. Down the serpentine corridors, Shepard walked a few feet behind her handler, trying to map down routes and tag exits, but the Agrippa was a huge ship. She grit her teeth when she realized that the Warlord she was attempting to help allowed this atrocity to dock here. She would have to speak with Aria.

The hallways were milling with mercenaries and private guards. The slaves must be corralled in the cargo holding area. There had been a door beside the cargo airlocks marked with restricted access. She'd only seen guards taking people through who seemed to be cleared through. The enormity of the operation probably required registering their cargo individually. That would help her cause. Garrus could hack into their database and retrieve the location of the medic, Janika Kunis. Then Shepard could shut it all down. For good.

The leash pulled taught and Shepard's breath caught in her chest as she was yanked forward. "Keep up Sarah," Garrus snarled. A flash of infuriated anger bubbled in her belly as she gritted her teeth to keep from clocking him, but he was right. She'd started to fall behind. She picked up her pace as they stepped through a door and into a room with a huge conference table at one end and a solitary wall with mounted monitors displaying every corner of the ship. Before the blinking wall stood Ramulus.  
"Quite the set up you've got," Garrus drawled, the usual twinge of humor and tease in his flanging voice.

The Turian turned and offered a rather friendly flare of his mandibles in a typical Turian grin. "I have never seen anyone of clan Orabas personally come to offer trade."

"Times change," Garrus evaded and took the seat at the conference table where Maximus gestured. Shepard teetered at the threshold before coming to stand behind the chair her handler occupied.

"There are so few of you left. I find myself…honored." Ramulus came and sat before them, his hands clasping the side of the chairs. "So what brings you to my humble establishment? Sale or purchase."

"Sale."

And then all the eyes were on her. Shepard had to force her muscles to relax. The scrutiny was customary. She was prepared for it. So plucking the Turian's eyes out was probably not a good idea. All in good time, she told herself.

"She's broken." Her eyes snapped up to the Slaver and he smirked as if he knew she would meet his gaze. "I see. Just scarred then. N7?"

The hair at the back of her neck stood on end. She felt Garrus still between them. "Ex," he muttered. "I have removed most of it, but I find myself in need of a… more pliable companion."

"I only deal with bulk trade. Why would I be interested in one previously used solitary slave?"

And therein Shepard realized what Garrus meant about walking in blind. What information Aria had provided had spoken little about the Turian in change and more of his operation. She now realized that Ramulus was a perceptive bastard. Perhaps coming in guns blazing would have been a better option.

"Because I bring you a prize worth keeping." Garrus chuckled and this time the gasp jumped from her before she could suppress it as she was tugged closer, one of Garrus' taloned hands sliding up to hold her jaw. "Meet Commander Shepard, the first human Spector."

Sarah's world tipped off its axis as she stared down at Garrus.

* * *

She landed on floor with a grunt as the flickering force field was raised. On lifting her torso off the ground, Shepard glared over her shoulder as Garrus and Ramulus stood outside the biotic barrier of her cell. Whatever game Garrus had just started, it had never been part of the plan. With this shiny new cell she had no access to her biotics, tech or any other powers; save for the tiny retractable ceramic blade sewn on the inside of her jacket. Her anger frothed, and the snarl of fury that nearly come from her was indeed directed at Garrus. Just what the hell was he doing?

"How ever did you find her?"

"She came across my desk two years ago, broken, nearly dying. I retrieved her from Alchera. Fitting a few new mods, removed the tech and biotic implants and took from her what I could," Garrus leer was perfect as he let his eyes run over his former charge. "I grow tired of her constant rebellion and," he offered the other Turian a snort of laughter, "I also have a few debts."

There was glint of mirth in Ramulus' eyes. "Oh your clan is famous for its 'debts.' But we usually don't deal with slaves of her caliber. I merely provide a trade of flesh, but this." He shook his head. "Putting her off would be trouble. It was unfortunate about Purgatory."

"Oh come on," Garrus rolled his eyes. "The human that took down Saren?"

"Oh I am familiar with her exploits. The more exotic clientele I deal with might be interested, but you realize how difficult it would be advertise such a…volatile specimen."

"I'm right here." Shepard snapped.

It only served to make Ramulus grin wider. "I am almost tempted to keep you little firefly."

Her stomach turned, her ears catching fire as she bit down the urge to reach for his beady green eyes with her fingernails. She wondered how long it took for the homicidal urges to die. She imagined most slaves went through it. The need to kill anyone who implied physical contact.

"Come into my office, we can discuss payment there." Ramulus cast one last glance at her and Shepard's skin crawled.

Garrus stood his ground. "Allow me a moment."

"A sentimental Orabas. Amusing." Ramulus nodded at the guard and left Garrus standing before the blue barrier of the cell. There was surveillance. There were guards. Garrus stepped closer, his nose nearly touching the sparking barrier between them. Shepard had to bite her tongue to keep from raging at him.

"You will see me again pet," her Turian purred and the jump in her pulse was harder. It fueled her anger, but also changed kilter towards something deeper. Much more fearsome. Faith.

Garrus had a plan. Something had made him give up her identity once he knew who they were dealing with. Ramulus was a smart alien. There was no way her Turian would betray her. She just had to be patient.

And then she was alone. As alone as she could be in a row of cells filled with slaves.

The silence was unsettling and then she began to hear it. A sniffle here. A scuffle there. Telltale signs of occupation and she realized the cells were all full. Ramulus had a prosperous day.

Dropping into the corner, Shepard took a deep breath, the stench of sweat and pain filling her lungs. Wincing, she closed her eyes for a moment, Morinth's whispers getting louder.

There was muted rumble beneath her.

Shepard's heart sank as she realized the engines had powered up. The slave ship was leaving and the Normandy had no idea where it was headed.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	4. Chapter 4

_Unbroken_

 _A Mass Effect story_

 _Summary: Shepard's been tasked with infiltrating a Turian slave ship. Shepard hardly has the disposition of a slave and Garrus has no idea how to command his commander._

 _Author's note: Things are finally moving. This is Mass Effect. There's no way to keep Shepard down for very long._

CHAPTER 4

Despair sings its own melody. It is haunting and bleeding and above all – alluring. Spindly fingers twine about your spirit and whisper such delicious words of futility that it is near impossible to tell the difference between what is real… and what is lying. Shepard's mind was lying.

A trickle of sweat blurred her vision and she swiped at it as if it was a tangible thing she could beat down. The knife was shaking from where she'd wedged it between a panel. _Move, damn you_ , she growled silently. The edge shifted and then chipped and fell away. Again. Snapping her head against the wall she willed herself to remember.

Hours, weeks, days? She knew it had to been minutes. Forty maybe. She knew her Turian wouldn't be far. Thane was still aboard. She wasn't helpless. Nothing was written in stone. She would fix this.

But despair just kept on singing and she sounded suspiciously like Morinth. She tapped her forehead twice against the wall and let out a slow breath. _Get it together Sarah._

Thunk. Thunk.

Her eyes snapped open, mouth parting in shock as she stared at the metal structure before her: She was also hearing things.

"Hello?"

Shoving away from the wall, Shepard stared up at the ceiling, darting her eyes around her holding cell and frowned. "Who's there?"

"Oh thank god! I thought I was imagining it."

Of course. Shepard let out a huff of breath. There was no way she was the only prisoner in this block. She shook her head to clear it. _Dammit Morinth, stop singing!_ "Who are you?"

"Are you a biotic?"

Mouth twisting into an unhappy curl at the lack of compliance from her mystery voice, Shepard walked to the shimmering force field and tried to peer through it as best she could. There was someone in the cell next to her. "Would it matter if I was?"

The female voice huffed impatiently. "Ye-ah! I'm definitely not strong enough to work my way out alone. So it would help if you were a biotic, even a bad one."

"If you're in here with me, you must be important," Shepard mused. "I'm Commander Shepard with the Al…well self employed at the moment. Sort of."

"You're not sure?"

"About my name, I am. It would be helpful if I had a name for you as well, or would floating mysterious voice from the beyond suit you better?"

Silence.

Shepard wondered if she had to beg to get her to speak again.

"Janika."

Shock rocked through her system as Morinth's voice screeched to a halt in Shepard's head. "Aria's Janika?" Could she really be that lucky? Did Garrus know!? _He was good_ , she reasoned a little crazily in her head, _but he's not that good! Is he?_

There was a gasp. "Please tell me this isn't another hallucination. Please tell me she really did send you to get me. Hey, can you hear me? Please say something. I can't be crazy again. Oh god, what if it's the drugs talking! What if you're really not here! I should have fought harder when they gave me those chemicals! Dammit Jani get a hold of yourself!"

Shepard blinked when there was a resounding thwack followed by a yelp. "Did you just slap yourself?"

"You're there! My god why didn't you say something! Are you sadistic or something!"

Shepard took a deep breath before raising her voice in her best Commander Shepard doesn't want any shit volume. "I would say SOMETHING, if you would shut up long enough for me to do so in the FIRST place!" When greeted with silence she sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Look Ms. Kunis. We did come to save you, but we've hit a snag."

"Pfffft! Duh. No kidding, you're in here with me. What the hell kind of rescue is that?"

Shepard rubbed the headache in her temples she knew would be permanent in the Asari medic's presence. "Now I know why they put me in here. She'll eat my brain before I can think of escaping."

"Hey! I'm right here you know!"

"It's getting harder to forget," Shepard quipped before she felt the air shift around her. The hair at the back of her neck stood on end. Someone else was here. Jumping away from the force field she plastered herself against the back wall and stared up at the ventilation duct. The ceramic knife shifted in her palm, her muscles coiled for action when she felt a familiar voice speak the word.

"Siha."

She was not alone. Her crew was still with her. She was still Commander Shepard and there was always a way out.

"Please tell me you have a gun for me Thane."

"Oh my god, is someone with you!?"

The scorpion cluttered to the floor at her feet and her mouth widened into a feral grin. "I think I could love you Krios."

There was a snort of laughter muffled by a laugh. "Think fast. There's a guard at the door."

"Commander, can you hear me? Hello? Stop ignoring me dammit!"

Shepard slid the pistol into the strap inside her leather jacket and thanked her mother again for it. If no one frisked her, no one would know she was armed. And now, if someone touched her, she would blast their head off. "Janika, I promise I will get you out of here, but if you speak another word, it could be in a body bag."

She almost heard the squeak and clamping of her mouth as it snapped shut.

Taking a deep breath, Sarah stowed away her knife and stood patiently as the cell block door opened and the armed guard stepped in. "Prisoner Shepard. Captain Maximus would like to see you."

 _I very much want to see the Captain myself_ , she growled inwardly as she was escorted out of her cell.

TO BE CONTINUED…


	5. Chapter 5

_Unbroken_

 _A Mass Effect story_

 _Summary: Shepard's been tasked with infiltrating a Turian slave ship. Shepard hardly has the disposition of a slave and Garrus has no idea how to command his commander._

 _Author's Note: Thank you everyone for reviewing. This is a much more difficult write than I anticipated. For those who are still reading. Thank you._

* * *

CHAPTER 5

The guard walked behind her. It would be so much easier to take him from the back. She wondered at the idiocy of the Slave master to send one solitary guard to fetch her. Either the guard was more than he seemed or Maximus grossly underestimated her. From what Garrus had implied, Shepard figured it was the first. She's planned it in her head. Her squad mates would follow her lead. She knew that Thane was still shadowing her. Morinth's whispers were now drowned by adrenaline and purpose. It would be a cold day in hell before Shepard would be enslaved.

A Batarian walked past her with another leashed prisoner and her world stilled with a muted explosion.

He couldn't be more than four. Maybe younger. Those eyes had none of the youth his size should be brimming with. They were dark. Fathomless and empty. Barely a boy.

Shepard's blood caught fire.

It was instinct, her hand snapped back for the gun. She would raze them all to the ground. But the guard was indeed more than he seemed. Almost as if knowing it would set her off, her was on her. His thick armored arms wrapped around her from behind, trapping her against his big Turian frame as Shepard let out snarl of fury. There were screams, mostly her own. She felt herself lifted off her feet before she could use anything as leverage. Maybe she was cursing, maybe she was crying. The Batarian merely curled his mouth at her, his black eyes running over her once before he turned the corner and left with the human child.

It was irrational. Irrational and stupid for her to have assumed that all they traded in were adults. Of course they sold children. But the stark reality of it and the age of the child had broken something inside the hardened soldier. Perhaps it was that deep intrinsic female part of her. Maybe she felt more than she let on. Maybe…

But Shepard didn't realize she'd been crying.

The haze for fury and injustice faded long enough for her to realize that she'd been pulled into a dark compact space and the Turian guard was holding her, one three-fingered, armored glove moving gently over her back. Jerking out his arms, she hit the back wall of the maintenance closet he'd pulled them into and stared at him. There was soft sigh before the helmet was removed and Garrus was revealed in all his blue clan paint and glory.

She wanted to kiss him. But the thought was too wild, too crazy and it was her fist that met the good side of his jaw.

"AWO! Dammit Shepard!" Her Turian hissed and reeled back a step. "Hell!" He rotated his jaw and frowned at her in the light of his red visor. "Remind me never to comfort you again."

She swiped at her went cheeks furiously. "How dare you," she hissed back. "I could have taken him!"

"Shepard," his tone was placating but she was on a roll.

"You had no right! No business stepping in! How dare you intervene! I am your superior officer!" A part of her screamed that the bluster was not supposed to be directed towards him. He was not the enemy, but the memory of those lifeless little eyes wouldn't leave her. Not yet.

"It was not the time for heroics."

"YOU don't get to decide for me! Get out of my way!"

Raising his hands he stood in place his blue eyes sparked with red. "Shepard, please. Take a deep breath."

"Don't tell me what to do Vakarian!" She bore down on him. "Move or I'll move you!"

There was a slow snarl building in his chest. "If you don't calm the hell down Shepard, I will knock you out."

"Bring it birdbrain, I won't mind a little blood on my hands!"

When he completely dropped his arms and cocked his head to blink at her, Shepard lost some of her irrational anger. "Did you just call me birdbrain?"

Shame suffused through the Commander and her skin flushed pink. "I didn't…"

"Oh, I think you did," there was a hint of his usual humor, but it was colored with something darker.

"Shit. Garrus I'm sorry." Shepard put her face in her hands and slid down the wall, sending some nondescript clutter shuffling away from her. For just a moment she sat there, her head in her hands, elbows on her knees as she finally took a deep breath.

"I told you, you were not ready to see this."

She glared up at him. "Not the best time for an I-told-you-so."

The Turian sighed as he squatted down before her. "You will promise me Shepard." Her frowned must have taken some of his confidence because he cleared his throat before proceeding with less command. "Please promise me you'll speak to me…someone about Morinth. About this death wish you seem to carry around."

"I don't…"

"Then please explain why you were about to blow what's left of our chance to save these people by acting on an impulse that could have gotten us both killed."

She had no answer.

"We're going to take Maximus. Everything else will come down around him. Isn't that what we planned?"

It was.

"What's going on Shepard?"

A muscle worked in her jaw. "This isn't a conversation we can have right now."

"Maybe we should." His voice was gentle. Coaxing. Convincing. "You don't have your usual focus."

Leaning her head back against the wall, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Dammit Garrus. I don't even know where to begin. I'm…raw. I just… not right now. We have to help these people. I need…."

"You know, Shepard," a soft gloved talon traced her jaw and her eyes snapped open. "I'm here if you need _me_."

Her mouth ran dry, a sudden flare of heat wrapped around her like a cocoon and she took a shaky breath. She _was_ fragile and raw. Too sensitive to the world around her. To him. Almost as if Morinth had unraveled something inside her. Shown her a part of the world she hadn't seen before from the pristine confines of her spacer-kid life. Something no amount of death or war could train her for. The harsh reality of just how much filth was in the galaxy. Things he'd lived on Omega. Drugs. Rape. Slavery. Pedophilia. Such injustice. So much more than just killing some geth or reapers or mercenaries and saving the world.

Maybe he was right. She hadn't been prepared for it.

She was an Alliance Soldier. They pointed her and she would shoot. It was easier to just point her gun and eliminate the problem, but this…this needed so much more.

She didn't realize she had leaned towards him and he'd gone preternaturally still until the throat was cleared. Her eyes lifted to the upside-down head peering out of the grate overhead.

Thane looked incredibly apologetic and uncomfortable as he cleared his throat. "Maximus is on the move."

Shepard let her head fall back against the wall and Garrus rose to his full height.

She really would have to speak to him once this was over.

He held out his hand, his mandibles moving erratically for a moment, as if not entirely in his control. "You with me?"

For a moment she only just wanted to crawl back to her bed and sleep until all of this was over. But she knew, she could kill the Reapers, save the universe, but this would all still be here. Her hand slid into his and he pulled her to her feet. Shepard took a deep breath. "If you promise not to peddle me off to the next filthy slaver you see."

"It'll be _really_ hard, but I'll contain myself," Garrus drawled with his patented smirk.

Rolling her eyes, Shepard readjusted the gun in her jacket before pushing him towards the exit. "I'm just going to love seeing how you put down 'accosting my commander in a maintenance closet' on your report."

"Acco…wha…that wasn't…"

Feeling a little clearer, Shepard grinned at him over her shoulder. If a gun was what she was best at, then one bullet at a time – she would save them all.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	6. Chapter 6

_Unbroken_

 _A Mass Effect story_

 _Summary: Shepard's been tasked with infiltrating a Turian slave ship. Shepard hardly has the disposition of a slave and Garrus has no idea how to command his commander._

 _Author's Note: Almost there. Thank you for hanging on._

* * *

CHAPTER 6

"This damned ship is near invisible to everything. The finest stealth and cloaking technology money can buy." Garrus whispered as he escorted her to the Captain's quarters. "I managed to create a hacking module that will let us piggy back on the ship central control systems without detection. Just enough to disable alarms and send the Normandy our location. But I had to send Thane. Maximus has his whole station wired to the teeth, he has eyes everywhere so we must be careful."

"Except ventilation ducts?" Shepard held back a smile as she followed Garrus through the halls. "And the maintenance closets it seems."

"Ahem. Focus Shepard. We got a hold of the ship schematics and communication feed which should give us a chance to disable alarms and defenses."

"I thought you couldn't get into the system."

They entered an elevator. "I couldn't, but I had help."

"Liara."

"I gave her a heads up before leaving the Normandy."

Shepard took a deep breath and shook her head. How had she ever been so despaired in the cell? "And to think she was scary before I gave her the Shadow broker base. I can't believe you went behind my back Vakarian."

"I told you I'd always be on your six." Garrus chuckled. "I had her alert the Hierarchy. Maximus is a wanted Turian. Pallavan's been waiting to smudge him of their reputation for decades."

"So he's fair game."

"The fairest of them all." She could practically hear Garrus' grin. "But he's a mean son of a bitch Shepard. Probably armored to the teeth with biotic and tech protection."

"So quick and painless."

"Yes. We're here." Garrus pulled on the sparking leash that held his commander as he was greeted by the two Krogan mercenaries outside the private quarters of the Master Slaver. In all his years at C-Sec and then Omega, he'd only ever heard of Maximus. Most Turians thought slavery was beneath them, but some, very old, very archaic-minded Turians still remembered the time when their barefaced were more than outcasts. When they were lesser than animal.

A muscle tightened in his jaw, his mandibles straining against the helmet. The ephemeral pain from where he'd caught the rocket felt overwhelming. But this was not the time. Not the time to be ashamed of his people's past. It was the way of the mighty to command the meek. It was an old way. Something that had come through nearly all the species that existed. Exploitation of the weak.

Maximus was the mark of a very old demon. The Turian Hierarchy was firm on the subject. For once, Garrus would be in complete accordance with their wishes when he put a bullet in his head.

The Krogans checked his ID and Garrus was infinitely glad he'd taken the Turian merc's omnitool. He wasn't happy that his own lay in a crumpled mess beside the dead guard in the solitary cell. It meant there was little way to get through to the Normandy unless Thane had managed to patch him through to a ship terminal. The drell, though an apt assassin, was a piss-poor hacker. It was taking forever.

"Captain requested Prisoner 4025."

The Krogan only nodded and the door opened.

Garrus bit back a curse and Shepard couldn't hold the sharp intake of breath as they stepped into Maximus' personal quarters.

A Quarian female was shackled on a pristine white Galabear skin rug before the fireplace. It was massive enough to span nearly the whole room. Garrus would have dwelled on the blatant brutality of an endangered species barely numbering in hundreds across the galaxy, but his attention was drawn to the stead hiss of the Quarian's suit as she lay there, heaving.

Her seals had deliberately been left open.

And Shepard's breathing picked up.

Maximus was a large Turian. As he had been in their initial meeting, his thick arms were bare and marked in the same black ink as his face. Where Garrus' plates were pale and tan, Ramulus Maximus was shades of grey and white. Almost like Saren. He dressed in black. His crest long and sharp behind his head. Longer than she'd seen. She remembered something about the old Turian clans that didn't bond out of their own. Stronger, faster, meaner. But prone to dying young.

This Turian wasn't anything like Shepard had ever met before.

But her eyes were on the tiny Quarian girl. She looked young.

"Ah, Commander Shepard." Maximus came forward from where he'd been examining a data pad. "I hear you snarled at one of my childcare professionals."

Sarah's skin prickled with her biotic field, but she kept it in check. "Is that what you're calling pedophiles now?"

"Oh he's not allowed to touch the merchandize."

A muscle tightened in her jaw. Her Turian didn't give away his guise, merely stood to the side and awaited command. "I see that doesn't apply to you."

Maximus had shark teeth as he grinned at her. "That Orabus couldn't take your tongue from you. It is still your own. No matter. His kind is only good for a laugh or two at the game tables. Your previous master probably was inadequate to discipline you. But I find myself curious. How did someone like him manage to keep you for so long?"

"He smelled amazing."

Garrus' head snapped around to stare at her. It was then that Maximus realized her escort was still in the room. "Dismissed."

Garrus grit his teeth. He and Shepard could take the Turian. He just hoped Thane had managed to find the security system and apply the patch he'd given him or the whole ship would come down on them. He didn't have to look at her, Shepard had already angled her body towards him. He could see the glint of the pistol in her jacket. They were in perfect sync. Garrus stepped back towards the door.

Maximus was completely focused on his conquest. "No one will hear you from in here Firefly."

Shepard's fists tightened as she met Maximus' eyes squarely. "Good."

The butt of Garrus' rifle smashed through the controls of the doors.

When the alarms never came, Shepard's mouth widened into a smirk. "No one will hear you scream either."

It was only a breath before Maximus realized he had been taken but his shields had gone up, blue shimmering and his shotguns started thundering. The Master Slaver was furious.

Shepard had taken cover behind a metal pillar, Garrus rolled beside a couch. The Quarian had started screaming, but Shepard had eyes only for the snarling Turian behind the shimmering shields. Her own biotic reserved tapped, Shepard signaled for an overload and Garrus complied.

The barriers shimmered, staggering Maximus for a moment, but it allowed Shepard to aim and chip away with her pistol. Slow, but hard. Behind their angry opponent, she saw a blur land from the ceiling and take cover behind a counter. Maximus was flanked from all sides. But that's not what Shepard needed. Garrus has said quick and painless.

"THANE! Get the girl to safety."

A hole was blasted into the couch, nearly taking Garrus along with it as Maximus unloaded his shotgun again.

"Garrus, give me cover."

"What!?" His blue eyes widened when he saw her holster her weapon. She only had one more. "Shepard, don't!"

But the Commander had rolled away from the pillar, vacating it for her Turian sniper as she pulled up her biotic barriers and charged straight at the weakening slaver.

The biotic barriers screeched against each other as Shepard pulled her ceramic knife from her jacket. The gunfire was a crescendo now, her own shields flickering against Maxiumus' and then Shepard let go.

Her pent up fury, fear and frustration, since she'd nearly had herself enslaved to Morinth, came full circle. The explosive force of her release packed itself into a freight train of biotic energy as she broke through Maximus' barriers and buried her knife into his neck.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	7. Chapter 7

_Unbroken_

 _A Mass Effect story_

 _Summary: Shepard's been tasked with infiltrating a Turian slave ship. Shepard hardly has the disposition of a slave and Garrus has no idea how to command his commander._

 _Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to update. Life happened._

* * *

CHAPTER 7

Janika was pacing. The woman had looked capable. If Aria picked her it would mean she had trusted her. Also, the Commander was practically a legend. There was no way she'd fail and leave her to rot in this cage. Right?

So the panic built. _Oh goddess,_ she prayed. _Let this not be my end._

And the answer came in the shape of three hunkering forms that stumbled through the cellblock door and leaned against it as it snapped shut. Janika took one look at the bleeding, gasping woman on the arm of the Turian guard and her head fell into her hands. "Oh I'm screwed."

"Show some faith, little one."

She remembered that voice. The one she'd heard speaking with the Commander. Lifting her eyes, she saw a pretty green Drell slowly move closer to her cell and swipe an ID into the control panel. The force field vanished and Janika threw herself into him. "Oh thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou…"

Shepard saw through a haze of blue as Thane stumbled, his arms full of a gratefully blubbering Asari. The look on her poor infiltrator's face was priceless. There was a mad giggle that was probably her own and then another wave of pain went through her.

"I'm glad you're still capable of being amused Commander." Garrus lowered her to the floor and let her sit in the corner as he quickly applied another wave of omnigel to his Commander. It was his last. He'd been saving it for her. "And have I told you how stupid that was?"

"Awo," she groused as he shifted her arm. The omnigel wasn't doing a lot to dull the pain, but at least she wasn't bleeding out anymore. It hadn't been her smartest plan, but Maximus had been so smug and the Quarian had so little time. She had meant to be faster, stronger, but the shotgun had nearly ripped a hole in her side. And when he lay did, she felt little victory. The futility gnawed at her somehow. Killing him. Watching the Quarian girl die in Thane's arms. Pointless. Despite all her cybernetics, Shepard was still human. "For the thousandth time Garrus; yes."

It had been a slow trip back to the holding cells. The Agrippa was in chaos. Once Maximus fell, they had to clean the slave ship room by room. Heat sinks were scattered everywhere. They armed the ones who could fight, rounded up and secured the ones they couldn't. There were losses. There were deaths. But more than that there were hostages.

Shepard's wasn't used to fighting without her usual arsenal and she was already wounded. She had to rely on her biotics and her speed to just keep up with Garrus and Thane. Maximus had taxed her reserves. Her implants were singing with pain and overuse. And through it all, Garrus Vakarian was infuriated.

She still couldn't get over how deadly her Turian was when angry. In one breath, she'd watched Garrus bring down two guards, free a hostage, overload an approaching mech and kick a half dead drone out of his way as he moved to cover. She wished she had time to marvel at how skilled her Turian friend had really become since Omega.

"Wow. She looks bad," Janika spoke with a sense of obviousness that made Shepard choke on another spurt of laughter. Poor Thane was an interesting shade of pink as he escorted Janika to his wounded commander. Clearing his throat, he handed the medic a makeshift First-Aid kit he'd acquired on their way to the cell block. "Not very apt is she?" Janika shook her head before kneeling down.

"Apt, yes." Garrus growled, his eyes on his snickering commander. He couldn't believe she still had breath to be amused. "Prudent, sensible and rational she is not."

Shepard groaned as Janika skillfully removed a few pallets before she began to close her wound. "Do we really have to do this now Garrus?"

"Oh I don't know," Garrus scowled before holding down the bandage over her side as Janika secured it in place. "You might decide to bite the next heavy mech to death. I might not get another chance."

Thane offered the Asari a hand as she wiped her forehead and stood. "Are _you_ apt with a weapon?"

Janika snorted and crossed her arms. "You think Aria would keep me around if I couldn't shoot straight?"

"Point." Thane stifled a smile as he handed a borrowed rifle to the woman.

"Gonna help me up Vakarian?"

Garrus hadn't stopped glaring at her since they had taken down Maximus, but he gave her his hand and carefully draped her arm around his cowl. "You and I will have words Shepard. Make no mistake about that."

There was a rumble and the ship shook. Janika immediately had her arms around Thane. Shepard wondered how someone like her could be anything to a warlord like Aria. There was more to this Asari than Aria had led on. "Please tell me that was the cavalry."

There was a crackle and their coms came online. "Commander Shepard? Do you copy?"

A flood of relief went through her as she let her Turian hold her weight. "EDI, I have never been happier to hear your voice."

"Even when you were on that derelict collector ship?"

Shepard chuckled. "Not even then."

"It is my pleasure Commander. The Normandy landing party is accompanying the Turian General's team. Please prepare for extraction."

"The what?"

Garrus shrugged. "I told you Maximus was important."

Thane checked his Omnitool. "We're a few levels below. Can you walk?" He met Shepard's eyes.

"Yes." Sarah planted one hand on the Turian's chest plate and pushed to stand on her own two feet. "OOF!"

She couldn't budge him an inch.

Startled at the strength of his hold and the cocky smirk he sent her way, she was almost tempted to use Throw on him. But she was wrong. Her limbs could barely hold her up, her muscles screamed for respite as the painkillers began to work through her system. She could not walk on her own. "No."

Thane frowned when Shepard could barely extricate herself from the Turian's iron hold. It was all the proof he needed. "Then I suggest Ms. Kunis and I take point. We will locate the landing party and meet you back here."

Garrus unceremoniously picked Shepard up in his arms and moved towards one of the open cells. "We've cleared this level anyway. We should be safe."

The Drell nodded before holding the door open for the Asari medic.

"By the goddess you're a gentleman. We don't get a lot of Drell on Omega. Quarians we have by the dozens, but Drell? Not so much. Hey, is it true that Drell have the stamina of a varren alpha in heat? Hey, why are you moving so fast? I might be a little weak from imprisonment. Hey! At least hold my hand. Hey wait! What's your name!"

Shepard closer her eyes and imagined the poor Drell's face as Janika's voice trailed down the hallway before the doors slid shut.

And then, she was alone with him.

The only sound was her slightly labored breathing and the shuffle of her tattered dress as he lowered her onto one of the cots. She'd barely thought to throw him a sarcastic remark before he had turned and walked out of the cell. He didn't go far, but his rigid back, those balled fists spoke enough.

She knew Garrus. They had taken down Saren together, spent hours talking beside the Mako. Spoken of the universe, its design, their purpose. They ate together, fought together, nearly died together.

And then everything changed.

The Turian she'd found holed up across the bridge on Omega was The Archangel. Rougher, larger, jaded. But he was still the only one she trusted more than anyone. The one who always had her six. If he had continued to rage at her, she could have breathed better. But his silence. Oh how it cut something deep in her chest.

Then she remembered how she felt when he'd lain there in his own blood, barely able to speak. She remembered her horror at the possibility of losing him when she'd barely found him. How selfish had she been? Shepard let out a shaky breath. "I'm sorry."

There was a twitch in his metal covered frame but he didn't move.

"I _have_ been reckless." He didn't turn around, but she decided it was time to just let go. Leaning her head back against the wall, she closed her eyes. "Dammit Garrus, I was so naive. I had no idea what the world was really like. I spent those years fighting enemies I could see clearly. Elysium was a not victory. I was a fool. Going after Saren. Saving the citadel, saving the council. It was an illusion. Only black and white. I died and came back without the veil of the Space kid, the war hero and I saw the galaxy for what it is.

"Cerberus opened my eyes to all those shades of grey I had been missing. Seeing Omega. Seeing you on Omega. Aria. Morinth. That club…" She trailed off, the heat building behind her eyes. "And Jack," her voice cracked. "I put it all in a neat little list of missions. Prioritized so I wouldn't have to think of it all in one go because…I thought I'd go mad." Her hands covered her face almost as if it would hold her together. "I am mad," she whispered on a broken little laugh. "Because I think the Reapers are right. We do deserve to be wiped out."

"You don't mean that."

Lifting tear-brightened eyes she saw Garrus turned towards her, his bandaged face a stark reality of what their world did to people. To her people. "Don't I? Look at what a father can do to his own daughter? A childhood of violence, experimentation and a lifetime of recounting the horrors with ink on your skin. That child. The girl in his room. I walked through this ship waiting find a room full of bloody manacles."

His mandibles pulled tight against his jaw and her eyes slid shut again. "There is a room full of bloody manacles. Shit." The heels of her palms pressed against her eyes.

Two strong hands wrapped around her wrists and she looked up startled to find him crouched before the little cot, his blue eyes nearly swallowing her whole. "You cannot save them all Shepard."

"Then the Reapers are right."

"No, they are not." His talons tightened nearly making her gasp as he pulled her closer; nearly to the edge of the cot. Her legs opened around the girth of his hips as he hissed furiously at her. " _You_ are still here."

"Look at what we've done to the world!" She snapped angrily, a tear sliding down her cheek.

"Look at what YOU have done to the world Shepard." He shook her slightly, his nose nearly touching hers. "If it hadn't been for you, there would be more ink on Jack's skin, a sister lost, a son gone astray, a daughter turned monster out there and a Turian hell-bent on dying with his crew!" She gasped when his hands slid up her arms to hold her shoulders. "Those Batarians you tried to warn; their deaths were not your fault. You don't need any military tribunal to tell you that. _I_ am telling you that. You have had to make nothing but impossible choices since you set out on this mission Shepard. You might not see all you have done, but the Reapers do. If they didn't think you were saving the world, they wouldn't be sending Collectors to kill you. Don't you see! Look how everything is different when you touch it. Look at me!"

And she did. His mandibles fluttering with unrestrained emotion, his blue, blue eyes pleading and yet filled with conviction. Through it all he'd stood by her. She didn't know if she could have done this without him. Stylishly or otherwise.

"You forgot Tali."

"What?" Garrus teetered off balance; from his own confession and her ability to throw him for a loop.

Her smile was tremulous but grateful as she quipped. "Killed the colossus, saved the girl. I really am a knight in Shepard armor."

With a bark of laughter, he changed everything as his forehead fell against hers. Shepard lost what was left of her breath on his name. "Garrus."

Eyes shut, he reveled in all that her voice revealed to him. The way it rolled over his name, the shuttered breath it came with. His Turian hearing could pick up on every single hope she had put into it. It was wrong on so many accounts for him to ask it of her. But there was no one in this screwed up galaxy he wanted more. No time for proper. "Dammit Shepard, if you kiss me now, I could love you forever."

Only…her breath hitched and all he heard was fear.

His heart stilled. Perhaps it _was_ wrong. Too much to hope for. He allowed himself one brush of her nose against his before pulling away. It was enough that she understood.

But the human pushed forward past his insecurities, his awkward retreat – and kissed him.

She was flesh. He was metal. They were bleeding…but it was perfect.

She realized what had been missing from her second chance the moment she had her arms around him. It was the steadfast reassurance for his belief in her, his ability to hold her no matter how broken she was. To slowly fill every crack shut until she was whole. Herself. As she let her mouth play across his, despite how it wasn't meant to be kissed that way, they made it work. Her tears were grateful and his talons in her hair were a promise.

When her team came with the convoy she sat beside her Turian a smile on her face.

* * *

To be continued...


	8. Chapter 8

_Unbroken_

 _A Mass Effect story_

 _Summary: Shepard's been tasked with infiltrating a Turian slave ship. Shepard hardly has the disposition of a slave and Garrus has no idea how to command his commander._

 _Author's note: I don't really know what one woman can do to change the world or slavery. But I believe it is a start. It makes me wonder why Bioware put it there. To remind us of human nature? Of how we can be selfish? Self-absorbed? Cruel? I'm confused about what message they wanted to give. Or even if there was one._

CHAPTER 8

The slave ship was in shambles. Shepard stood in the cargo hold and the body bags kept coming. Where moments ago she'd found some remnant of comfort in her Turian's arms, she now felt furious. All this, for what? Where was the logic in all this?

"Shepard?"

Shaken out of her downward sinking spiral she blinked at Garrus. His eyes were cautious again. Like he knew where she was headed. It felt pointless to smile at him, so she turned back to the bodies. All the same. She wondered which held the Quarian girl. "There are so many."

"If we hadn't been here, there would have been thousands more. This was Maximus' largest ship."

Head snapping up, she stared at him. "There are more?"

Her Turian tilted his head, his smile sad, the mandibles restless as he reached up and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. An open gesture of affection that didn't care who saw. "General Rustam is already rounding up the rest." Then he shook his head. "There will always be more Shepard."

A muscle hardened in her jaw. "Then it was all for nothing."

"Was Freedom's progress all for nothing? Feros?" His hands landed on her shoulders and she suddenly felt grounded as he bent down to meet her eyes. "It is everything Shepard." Slowly he turned her towards the docking bay entrance where a group of freed slaves were being escorted into away shuttles. Her breath stilled in her chest. The four year old boy stood there at the threshold.

"Even if you couldn't save them all."

A muscle tightened in her jaw before she turned away and started walking. "I need a word with our Warlord friend."

"Are we still calling her that?" The Turian drawled as they headed towards the command center of their newly freed ship. Cerberus had set up shop there under her command and were aiding in finding new homes for the lost. It was a slow and tedious process, but one the Commander had insisted on. The Turian hierarchy had already agreed to relocate their people, Tali had sent word to the Migrant fleet. The Batarian Hegemony had yet to respond, but Liara had been indispensable.

"I'm debating the friend bit, but I have a feeling the Warlord will have lots to say." Soon the Agrippa would be a husk of its former self. Shepard still felt a tick in her temple at the prospect that there was still a room with bloody manacles on board. She'd ordered the ship to be stripped, repurposed and handed over to the alliance. Illusive man be damned; the Agrippa would do some good for a change.

Garrus stood beside her as Shepard asked her tech engineers to give her to room. The last thing she needed was The Illusive man listening to her tearing into her Warlord 'friend.'

"Commander Shepard." The Asari Warlord flickered into view, resplendent on her couch as always "Found my stray?"

A muscle worked in her jaw, but Shepard merely met her eyes. "Ramulus Maximus? Really T'Loak? Should I be flattered that you thought I could take him down, or furious that you expected him to smudge me out?"

"You assume I felt you were important enough to plot against to such lengths. I merely wanted something retrieved. What you chose to do with the rest, is your business."

Smacking her hands against the console, Shepard glared at Aria's complacency. "You knew what you were doing when you sent me that request."

"Yes." The Warlord's mouth twisted into a happy little smirk. "I did. And I am somewhat gratified you are not 'smudged'."

Biting back the need to rage at the complacent Asari, Shepard sighed and crossed her arms, eyes narrowed. "Let's hear it then. Why me? Why here?"

The Warlord took a few dramatic and agonizing moments to respond. And when she did, it was as catastrophic as her usual punch lines. "Kunis is the Asari Councilor's daughter."

The ground shifted underneath Shepard's feet. Even Garrus let out a startled breath.

Leaning back in her couch Aria happily lifted up a flute of shimmering liquid in a toast. "Never say I never gave you anything Shepard." A wink and then the screens were dark.

"Sarah?"

Her knees wobbled and Shepard braced on hand on the console as the gravity of it sunk in. Was it possible? Could one woman tip the balance?

"Give me a minute big guy."

Coming to stand beside her, Garrus put one steadying hand on her elbow as she finally found her equilibrium. "Quite the sucker punch."

"For the council? Yes." She looked up into his blue eyes, a flicker of hope and a slash of satisfaction in her honey eyes. "Aria could have used this against them for anything."

The Turian groaned. "We're going to owe her for this, aren't we?"

"Everyone eventually owes Aria T'Loak." The Commander grinned as she headed out of the command center. "Where's Janika?"

Falling into step with his Commander, Garrus cleared his throat on a half laugh, half snort. "Glued to Krios' side I'm afraid. We've tried to pry her off, but…ahem…nothing seems to be working."

"He is rather irresistible."

They'd just turned a corner towards the heart of the ship when Garrus realized where they were. Casting a glance around, he snagged his Commander's elbow and proceeded to drag her.

"Hey! Garrus! Wha…"

The maintenance closet door snapped shut as Shepard stumbled in the semi-darkness, her Turian suddenly wrapped around her.

"If I'm going to be accused of accosting my commander in a maintenance closet, I might as well give them something worthwhile."

"It's because I called Thane irresistible right?"

"I'm about to prove otherwise." He was all teeth and sexy rumbles.

Her laugh melted into a sweet moan.

The world was a dark place. There would always be more helpless out there who would need a helping hand. Shepard might not be seeing out of a rose colored window, but she was looking with friends like Garrus and Liara, even Aria by her side.

The reality of the tragedies that plague our world are so much more potent and real when they happen to your child. To your sibling. To someone you love.

Maybe there _was_ a chance one woman could stir change. And no one could wield it quite like Shepard.

THE END


End file.
